Happy Holidays, from the Gibbs Family
by pirate-princess1
Summary: Gibbs travels to Stillwater for the hoildays after being invited by his father. Co-authored with cotedepablo911
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

Gibbs got a call on his phone. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Hi Leroy," the voice said.

"Hi Dad. How've you been?" Gibbs asked. It had been awhile since he heard from his father.

"Pretty good, you?" Jackson Gibbs replied.

"Yeah, I've been alright."

"And your team? How are they? Tony, Ziva, Abby, and Timothy, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, they're okay," Gibbs said, "What's up?"

"Are you doing anything for Christmas and New Year's son?" Jack asked.

"No. I'm usually at work in between though," the younger Gibbs replied.

"Why don't you come back to Stillwater? Have dinner and celebrate here? It's been decades since you've been here for the holidays," the elder Gibbs offered.

"I've got a job to do Dad. I might not be able to."

"Can't Tony take over? I imagine that you all would need a break."

"Maybe Dad. I promise though, that I'll be there for a few days to visit."

"Thanks Jethro. I really appreciate it," Jackson said happily.

"No problem Dad. It'll be good to be in Stillwater to see the city with lights. Are you still decorating your store with the lights?" Gibbs asked with a slight smile on his face.

"Yeah, been doing that for years," Jack replied.

"Okay. I'll see you soon Dad."

"See you soon Jethro. Tell everyone that I say hello and happy holidays," Jackson said.

"Will do. Bye Dad."

"Bye Leroy."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Gibbs strode into the bullpen, two days before Christmas. His team, anticipating a call to gear up to investigate a murder or other Navy or Marine related crime, jumped out of their desk chairs. Gibbs watched, sipping his trademark coffee, as McGee and Tony picked their standard issue backpacks, and pulled out their cell phones to call Abby and Ducky respectively. Ziva collected the keys to the Major Crisis Response Team's (MCRT, or as Ducky had once called them, Gibbs remembered, the A Team) van. Gibbs smirked almost invisibly as he said:

"No case."

Tony, McGee, and Ziva instantly stopped in their tracks, McGee comically bumping into Tony's back and stumbling backwards. They all turned towards him, looking expectantly, as if waiting for an explanation or an answer. Finally, after looking at each other for a long time, as if debating which one was going to inquire after the dearth of a case and his brisk actions, Tony spoke up.

"Boss?"

"Going to Stillwater for the holidays." He answered shortly.

"To go see Jackson?" Ziva inquired.

"No, to visit the coal mines." He said as he made his way to the stairs to Vance's office.

As he ascended the steps to the floor that held MTAC and the Director's office, he heard the banter that was playing out between his agents below.

"That was sarcasm, yes?" Ziva questioned.

"Hallelujah, finally! Assimilation!" he heard Tony's voice say, apparently praising the heavens. He smiled slightly at their antics, and then steeled himself for the conversation with Vance.

After bargaining into Vance's office for the umpteenth time, Vance giving him the "Hold on I'm talking to someone important" hand and pointed look, and Gibbs waiting around for about five minutes and pouring himself some bourbon (It is the holidays after all), Vance finally finished his phone call with the SecNav. After hastily paraphrasing that he was going to spend Christmas and New Years with his father and would be leaving tomorrow, he paused and waited for the confirmation (not that he needed one) that he could take vacation time. But, instead of his confirmation, he received and astonished look from the Director.

"What?"

"Well, Gibbs, I just haven't heard of you taking so much time off. The last time, except the Reynosa Debacle, that you took time off was when you sailed the _Kelly _down the Coast to Amira."

"Yeah, Leon. My father asked so I accepted." Gibbs retorted, giving him a glare. "DiNozzo is more than capable of heading up the team for a week and a half."

"I agree that Agent DiNozzo, being your Senior Field Agent, is the leader in your absence. What I am aghast at is your absence." Vance said, paused, and then smirked. "Most of your vacation time is gathering cobwebs, though."

Gibbs strode out of the office, and, after shouting to DiNozzo that he was in charge for the next 10 days, to which Tony whooped at, he bid everyone a Merry Christmas, including Abby, who had came up to see if the news was true.

"Gibbs! How come you didn't feel the need to inform me that you were going away for Christmas? I mean, it's sweet that you're going to see him and all, but why not tell me, your favorite Goth forensic scientist? Hmm?" Abby said, in usual Abby fashion, which is fast and without breaks for air.

"Abbs, he just invited me yesterday."

"Oh, well, in that case, give him a hug for me!" Abby said, then paused, "On second thought, give him this hug," She then hugged him, "And this one is to ensure a safe trip!" She hugged him again.

Gibbs hugged Abby back tightly, of course not as tightly as she was hugging him. He big his work family farewell again, got into the elevator, and drove home, ready for the 4 hour drive he would be enduring to get to Stillwater tomorrow, on Christmas Eve.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs started to pack for Stillwater the moment he got home. He called Jackson to tell him that he would be there in about 3 hours, because as his team would say: with him driving it would take half the time. He, though, knew better and accounted for Christmas traffic, especially in and around Washington. That would be a nightmare.

"I'll be in there in a few hours," Gibbs told his father.

"_Great! I can't wait to see you, Leroy," _Jackson told him.

Gibbs had gone over his luggage, zipped it up, and hauled it out to his mustard yellow mustang that he received from his father the last time he had been in Stillwater for a marine related case. The last time, when he had gone to retrieve his father for his safety and had helped him make repairs to his shop, while recent (On his and Jackson's clocks, months are less than milliseconds.) were not weekends he looked upon with fondness. He went back inside and turned off his lights. Then he suddenly turned to his fireplace. He saw the picture of him and his dad together, taken at Abby's insistence by McGee before he and Jackson returned to Stillwater. Thoughts began to churn in his mind about the months before. Thoughts about Paloma Reynosa and her crazy desire for revenge.

"_If I must, I promise to personally visit Pennsylvania, and shoot you father in the head," _she had said to Gibbs. The words had rung through his ears. He knew that he'd had to protect his father until Paloma had been taken down. After four crazy months, she was shot by her brother, in, unofficially, an as Ducky had called it "A Trojan horse meets a modern day Huckleberry Finn."

Gibbs snapped out of his thoughts after about two minutes of reminiscing. His father was safe, until another criminal he somehow came across got cocky and threatened his family, blood-related or otherwise. He grabbed his keys and walked outside. Closing the door behind him, he hopped in his Mustang and began the four hour drive to Stillwater, Pennsylvania.

Jackson Gibbs saw his son come through the door of his general store, after looking up from the beef soup he had been marking to be stocked. The bell he had placed above the doorway to alert him of customers, as he wasn't always at the register and counter had ran, alerting him to his presence. "Leroy!" he exclaimed. "It's nice to see you again!"

"You too Dad." Gibbs gave his father a hug, and he looked at the store. He had been to the grand re-opening after they cleaned it up. The store was pretty much exactly the same as before it had been gunned down by Paloma Reynosa's men.

"How have you been, Son?" Jack asked with a smile on his face.

"Pretty good. Abby says hello, and that she loved the chocolate that you sent her. She ate in about an hour and had a _Caf-Pow! _to wash it down. Talked even faster after that, and said it was even better than the ones you brought up last Christmas, if that is even possible."

"Oh, Abby, tell her thanks. Speaking of which, how is your team? Last time I saw them; we were looking for a psychopath and pulling out guns every minute."

"They're pretty good. Abby asks about you almost every day. Ducky wants to see you again, he enjoyed your conversation. Tony, Ziva, and McGee are happy that you're alright. Everything's pretty much the same," Gibbs replied.

"Do you have any time on your hands? I need a few things from the Laundromat," Jackson requested.

"Yeah, sure. What am I picking up?" Gibbs asked.

"A table runner, some curtains, and my slacks. Nothing too grand," Jack said casually.

Right before his son left the store, Jackson called him. "Son!"

"Yeah Dad?"

"I'm glad you're here."

"Me too, Dad. Me too," Gibbs said with a smile.

Jackson Gibbs smiled back at his son, and went back to his work restocking beef soup.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Gibbs briskly stepped out of his father's general store, and, shivered at the cold. The snow was dancing down from the sky, but from the experience of his whole childhood being spent in Stillwater before enlisting, he knew that it would soon become much heavier. He zipped up his bomber jacket, its leather worn from more than 15 winters. Kelly and Shannon had purchased it for him on what inevitably turned out to be their last Christmas, and through all of the ex-wives and closet clean outs, it had stayed his winter jacket. He didn't feel like some of his ex-wives did about clothes: if it was old you should buy a new one and toss the old one. But, although it was older than most of his wardrobe, it wasn't torn or frayed; the leather was just getting a little softer than it had once been. And, the fact that Shannon and Kelly had chosen it especially for him, and had lovingly wrapped it and placed it under the tree, made him feel wrapped in their warmth and love. He always got sentimental when it came to Shannon and Kelly.

He quickly looked both ways, not really caring about if anyone was coming. Stillwater was the kind of community that parents want their children to grow up in, even though the main occupation was coal mining. If anyone was coming, for example, the driver would stop, honk, and wave. Stillwater was like taking a step back in time, in that and another respect. The town consisted of a main road where all the local businesses were established. They had the local Laundromat, the general store, the butcher (Jackson had fresh fruits in a deli container near the back, but not meats), a clothing store, and other conveniences. This led out of town to a train station, and as you went farther into town past the businesses, about a dozen streets branched of forming residential streets.

He jogged across the street to the Laundromat, waved to an old couple on the sidewalk who had been friends of his parents. The last time he had seen them was Kelly and Shannon's funeral. Inside the Laundromat was the woman who had owned and operated it for years and her young granddaughter, who couldn't have been more than 21.

"Jethro!" The older woman exclaimed, "I haven't seen you since you helped repair Jackson's store! It's terrible what those people did to it! And coming into town, firing those horrible weapons like they own the place, what nerve!" She said getting worked up and frantic at the memory.

Gibbs just decided to say "Hello Mrs. Jenkins." Because she was always like this.

"You need the order for your father, dear?" She said, and without an answer on his part, motioned her granddaughter forward, and sent her briskly to the back.

"That's Jamie." She said, once Jamie got out of earshot, "She's going into NYU in the fall, for law school."

He nodded, knowing how proud everyone was of their children, especially around here. If anyone had asked about his team and acted genuinely interested he would tell them about McGee's 3.9 GPA at MIT, Ziva's language and weapons skills, Tony's college sport career and love of movies, and how Abby is one of the best forensic scientist in the country. Of course, no one knew that he knew anything more than what was in their files (like their personal and career information), but because he wasn't as talkative as some people are, he picked up little bits and pieces of conversation, so he knew a lot more than most were revealing to him.

"So, Jethro, are you still at NCIS?" Mrs. Jenkins asked.

"Yes, a team leader of the major crimes response team." Gibbs said, being polite by not giving a lot of details.

"That must be exciting." She said, as Jamie came back with his father's laundry.

Jethro walked outside, holding the garment bags over his arm gingerly. He jogged across the street, and opened the door to his dad's store, where his father was stocking the shelves with packaged crackers.

"Son, run upstairs and put them in the apartment on your mother's buffet in the dining room." Jackson called from a shelf that Gibbs couldn't readily see.

Gibbs ambled up the stairs concealed at the back of the store by a door, and moved through his father's tidy apartment with an ease that a person could only attain by living somewhere for a substantial period of time. After Jethro, his father's business partner, and his mother had both died, Jackson had started running the store full time. By that time, though, Jethro was just about to go into the core. He lived there about a year, but visited often to date Shannon.

He took a look at the contents of the garment bags he was carrying. One held a pair of his dad's grey dress pants and a matching grey suit jacket. Another held a pair of white curtains, which were obviously made before he was born, with lace at the bottom. The last one held a table runner. Curious as to which one it was, as he didn't recognize it, he unfolded it off its hanger. Opening it up on the table, he saw that it was beautifully embroidered in the middle and on the outside edges with roses and vines and some blue, pink, and yellow flowers. The material was a cream color, but it was heavier than the curtains. There was only one person he knew who could embroider so beautifully, and even the thought of it made his breath catch in his throat. It was Shannon.

"Shannon made that for me while you were deployed." Jackson said from behind him, "She sent it with one of the Christmas cards."

Gibbs just nodded, and ran his hands over the beautiful craftsmanship that was created by his wife.


End file.
